Reason #1 to be Always Thankful

The first reason is our Creator God who made the heavens and the earth and His purpose for the law. When was the last time you went out at night and looked up into the sky without any light pollution to see the vastness of the stars? It has been a long time for me but I am still amazed at the vast number of stars. God knows each of their by name and holds them in their places. Isaiah 40 speaks of God’s greatness. I particularly like verse 28,

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.”

Not only did He create the heavens and earth, He also placed the earth in the right place for us to exist and to be able to look up into the heavens and see who created them. He went on to give us the law for a purpose which is to make us aware of sin. All have sinned and the wages of the sin is death. No one can say they are without sin for they are deceiving themselves.

Reason #2 is the Cross

The second reason for continued thankfulness is the cross. Yet, while we were sinners and because of God’s great love for us, He sent His one and only Son to pay the price that we ourselves could not.

For you see, Jesus came to be a ransom for many and a sacrifice once and for all. He without sin became the propitiation for our sins. He despised the shame of the cross so that by believing in Him we might have eternal life and be called the children of God.

Therefore, our debts have been paid in full. I don’t know about you but I like the sound of that. So in order to be always thankful, we ought to be “cross-eyed”- always keeping the cross before us.

Reason #3 is that Our Trials Serve a Purpose

The third reason for being thankful in all our circumstances is even though our trials are not easy they do serve a purpose and we are not alone in them. God works in all things for the good of those called according to His purpose. We can consider it joy because the testing of our faith is working out perseverance and steadfastness. Pardon the phrase, but it is building character. God will see us through it all to the other side where we come out stronger.

An attitude of gratitude will go along way and sustain you better than grumbling and complaining would. People will want to be around you because of it for who likes to be in the company of a disgruntled person.

Therefore, I challenge you to be a “cross-eyed” always thankful child of God. Go and tell of God’s wondrous deeds.

Keep it Simple!

Sometimes, it is best to keep things simple. For example, my husband’s anniversary card stated his thoughts and feelings in five uncomplicated words. Yet, it was quite touching. It read, “God Knew I needed you.”

The message of the cross is that simple, too. All one needs to do to receive eternal life is to look to the cross of Christ. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life,” John 3:14-15. I learned in Bible Study Fellowship that eternal life means a changed life now and spend eternity with Jesus in the next. It is just that simple as to look to the cross. However, people make things more complicated by putting in their rules and expectations.

The straightforward act of believing in Jesus does many things. Believing in Him,

You have eternal life, will not come into judgment but have passed from death to life. John 5:24

Though you were dead, yet you shall live. John 11:25

You may not remain in darkness. John 12:46

You may have life through His name. John 20:31

You receive forgiveness through His name. Acts 10:43

You are freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Acts 13:39

You will not be put to shame. Romans 9:33

Will make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:15

You are born of God. 1 John 5:1

Therefore, something so simple has great rewards. How amazing is that? This is what is confusing to the world because the world believes that the simple is stupid. God uses the simple to shame the wise. Won’t you make the effortless action of looking to Jesus?